Florida GOP Fundraiser Featuring Steve Bannon Now Free

EMBARRASSING

Updated Oct. 23, 2018 6:38PM ET / Published Oct. 23, 2018 6:36PM ET

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A Florida GOP fundraising dinner featuring former Trump adviser Steve Bannon is now a free event, the Tampa Bay Times reports. Jeff Lukens, the Hillsborough County Republican Party’s chairman, sent an email to members on Tuesday, announcing the event is now “complementary to all” members. Lukens reportedly claimed the party has a “donor” to cover expenses. The newspaper reports that the party was initially charging $20,000 for 10 “chairman’s table” seats with Bannon, $1,000 for VIP tickets, and $125 for general admission. Last week, it slashed the prices to $5,000 for 10 seats with Bannon, $300 for VIP seats, and $50 for general admission, writing on Facebook they wanted to “pack the house!!!” On Monday, Bannon only drew a crowd of 38 people to a movie screening in Staten Island, New York. “You want grassroots leaders… You don’t need massive events,” Bannon reportedly said at the event.